Firebird or GTO has to be cut; I'd say Firebird. The G8 will keep the same essence of today's Bonneville/Gran Prix. The GTO should be very sporty more than, say, muscular. I'd hope for it to be a RWD/AWD coupe (maybe small suicides too, a la '99 Charger concept) with styling like the Motor Trend sketch from a little while ago. I would hope for a base engine to be a 3.9 Turbo'd but that's ultra-unrealistic, so I'd say a couple V8s and it's good to go.

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Yes, you understood the question. But what if GM thinks the GTO was somewhat of a flop, in their eyes. Maybe they'd rather try reviving the Firebird name? Maybe they'll assign GTO to a trim level of a G8?

Maybe they haven't decided or don't know what to do.

And if they do a Firebird, what will that mean for the proposal to do a bunch of small RWD Pontiacs off of Kappa? Would the Firebird be the Pontiac "flagship" then?

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Yes, you understood the question. But what if GM thinks the GTO was somewhat of a flop, in their eyes. Maybe they'd rather try reviving the Firebird name? Maybe they'll assign GTO to a trim level of a G8?

I like that idea. However, GM knows the GTO isn't a flop, it just needs a bit more testosterone on the sheetmetal.

Maybe they haven't decided or don't know what to do.

Seems like typical GM, eh?

And if they do a Firebird, what will that mean for the proposal to do a bunch of small RWD Pontiacs off of Kappa? Would the Firebird be the Pontiac "flagship" then?

I don't think a bunch of Kappas would make sense for Pontiac unless they dump the new G5 in favor of RWD (whoa, this is starting to seem feasible). Yes, indeed, they could make the "stop-gap" G5 turn into something similarly small and RWD. Keep the G6 (well, updated of course), keep the Solstice, and add the G8 as mentioned above. I think we're onto something.

Yet, on the same note, you're not saying the Firebird should be Kappa, right?

Lutz already stated publicly that there will be no Firebird, only the Camaro.

Yes.... in an article discussing the '04 GTO about two years ago he was asked if the Firebird might ever make a reappearance in the Pontiac lineup and he said "perhaps in another 30 years" referring to the three decade hiatus the GTO had.

This is the same article where he said that the GTO will be a permanent flagship model for Pontiac from now on. Last time I menationed this quote I got roasted like a leg of lamb.

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Sixty8panther: Roasted like a leg of lamb? Get the tzatziki sauce ready!

NOS2006: No, Firebird probably shouldn't be on Kappa. But I'm open-minded. Whatever will restore Pontiac. [ I like Pontiac second only to Buick. ] And who's to say Pontiac can't have all three big guns (GTO, Firebird, G8 / Grand Prix) at the same time? They did in the late '60s.

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This is what I believe we can count on: There will be a RWD sedan and coupe for Pontiac on the Zeta-lite architecture and that there will be a performance version of the coupe. Most likely it will be named GTO, although I'm sure the name Firebird comes up in the planning meetings often.

The Firebird name is most likely to remain dead for the forseeable future as it is way too closely tied to Camaro and thus, would undermine GM's efforts to differentiate the brands if used.

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If you're lucky, the GTO may come back as a high performance version of the Pontiac G8 sedan around 2011. It wouldn't surprise me if Camaro is the only Zeta coupe. GM can't spend money funding projects that may not be profitable.

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This is what I believe we can count on: There will be a RWD sedan and coupe for Pontiac on the Zeta-lite architecture and that there will be a performance version of the coupe. Most likely it will be named GTO, although I'm sure the name Firebird comes up in the planning meetings often.

The Firebird name is most likely to remain dead for the forseeable future as it is way too closely tied to Camaro and thus, would undermine GM's efforts to differentiate the brands if used.

Not impossible, but highly unlikely.

ehaase and Camino LS6: How do you feel about the suggestion that Pontiac become a line of small, agile, RWD cars... based off Kappa? Is that preferable to do? If GM makes a RWD Pontiac sedan and/or coupe on Zeta-lite, wouldn't that delay for at least a few years afterwards the possibility of a line based on smaller cars?

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The insiders say that Kappa can't be used for anything more than 2 seat sports coupes. Possibly a small 4 door coupe like the Mazda RX8. GM would basically have to design a new small RWD platform. I think that these small RWD cars would be interesting (not my kind of car though), but I don't know that GM has the funds to develop such a platform. It would be ideal for new Pontiacs and a real 3 series competitor for Cadillac.